VICTORVILLE — The Victor Valley College women’s volleyball dropped the opening match of the season in four sets to College of the Canyons on Wednesday.

The Rams rallied back from down 17-9 in the first set to win it 25-23 but dropped the next three sets 25-16, 25-22 and 25-17. Serrano High grad Kaylee Minnick paced the Rams with 13 kills to go with nine digs and one block, while Granite Hills grad Deresa Crenshaw’s 25 assists led the Rams.

Darian Medeiros and Sally Lloyd chipped in with 19 and 18 digs respectively, while Apple Valley grad Courtney Klein led the Rams with 29 digs of her own, along with 12 kills, two blocks and an ace.

While sound defensively, Victor Valley made errors on offense, causing them to chase games for nearly the entire match.

“(Canyons) didn’t out-execute us, we just made more mistakes than they did,” VVC coach Christa White said. “The biggest difference is that we made mistakes in multiples and [their mistakes] didn’t hurt them that much.”

White was pleased with her team’s defensive play overall, but the Rams’ four blocked shots fall short of her expectations of at least two blocks per set.

“It’s all about doubt,” White said. “When we doubt ourselves then how can we expect to execute? Whether you do (execute) or not, you have to have that belief that you can do it if you want to win.”

After rallying back to win the first set, Victor Valley wasn’t in the second set for long. Down 12-10, Canyons went on a 10-3 run, erasing any chance the Rams had at establishing a foothold in the game.

Victor Valley had a chance to take the match advantage in the third set as both teams lead for stretches and neither team led by more than three points the entire game. With the score tied at 22 the Cougars went on a 3-0 run to seal the victory.

The fourth set was the most lopsided as the Cougars led throughout. The Rams pulled within two points (18-16) but their late push was held off.

Offensive efficiency was an issue for the Rams, which White attributed to poor positioning.

“Everybody has to play their position,” White said. “If you don’t have a good combination happening, you’re not going to win. In the High Desert we have the talent, it’s just a matter of getting it all on the floor at the same time.”

White expects better communication to come as the team bonds on and off the court.

“They’ll get there,” said White. “It’s just that tonight is a game we could have won.”

The Rams next play in San Luis Obispo in a round robin tournament against Cuesta and Santa Monica. Their next home game comes on Sept. 27 when they host the Mojave River Classic.

Jacob Sundstrom can be reached at jsundstrom@vvdailypress.com or 760- 955-6274.